Down Poison
by otherside2
Summary: hermione and snape fic, snape is tortured by his dark mark, will hermione help him? what did happen in snape's past? We will find out... WIP
1. I’ve dreamed about this

* Disclaimer: I did not create the characters; I'm just borrowing them for a while to see what will happen. All credit for characters to JKR. *  
  
This is also my first fan-fic, so I apologize for being a newbie, and will appreciate all insights and criticisms.  
  
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Hogwarts was wreathed in a whirling cloud of white. Snowflakes fell, and drifted forming their own hypnotic patterns on the wind. Severus Snape stared at them, letting his mind drift along with the pure white flakes. But his thoughts were neither pure nor white. In his minds eye he saw the scene over again, the thick pale form of Voldemorts snake Nagini twinning around the body of the dead muggle. Her blood pooled around her blonde hair, the serpents' tongue flicking out, smelling it, tasting it. The cruel smile on Voldemorts own reptilian features in response to his pets' interest.  
  
"A worthy end, to an unworthy creature. To be sacrificed on Samhain night, much more than a mere muggle bitch deserves, do not you agree, Severus?" Voldemort glanced at the young man next to him, eyes half-lidded in satisfaction for his minion's accomplishments that night. Severus Snape was quite an addition to the Death-Eaters, tall, with prominent features, long black hair, a slightly hooked nose that added to the haughtiness and presence that were so much a part of him. Aside from Lucius Malfoy, Severus Snape was the only other Death-Eater that Lord Voldemort believed could be shaped into his ideal of a proper underling to himself, the Dark Lord.  
  
Severus himself had only cocked his head thoughtfully to one side, his expression showing no sign of emotion, as he knelt beside the body of the dead girl, and pulled a small glass bottle out from beneath his robes, to catch some of the blood in. Once filled, he replaced the cork stopper on the bottle, and put it back into its pocket in his black robes.  
  
Voldemort nodded knowingly; "I'm sure you will find a potion or two that will come in handy for, in the next year." Severus had only nodded.  
  
Prying himself back to the present, the much older Severus shook his head to clear it of those unwanted memories, and backed away from the window, rubbing his left arm absentmindedly.  
  
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"Hermione Granger!"  
  
Hermione jumped, slamming the heavy book she was reading shut as she did so. "Ronald Weasly!" She yelled back, turning to her friend with a deadly expression on her face "There is no reason to yell at me like that in a library!", but then she was smiling and jumping out of her chair to throw her arms around the redhead.  
  
"Ron I haven't seen you for months! How have you been?"  
  
"As well as I could be, helping Hagrid assemble the giant front. Blimey, but the real things make 'ole 'agrid look like a circus midget!"  
  
Ron's freckled face was smiling as always and he handed a lumpily wrapped box to Hermione. "He wanted me to give you this, along with his regrets that he won't be seeing us for awhile." Ron's voice dropped and turned serious as he bent to whisper directly into her ear, smoothing back some flyaway strands of her hair as he did so. "He's gone into hiding with his mother, and the rest, to where they were before, you know, seeing as no one could find them there last time. The present is a magic key that will let you in if you ever need a place to hide." He ended with a quick peck on her cheek, and was all smiles once again.  
  
"Well, go ahead, and open it!"  
  
Hermione realized the value of Hagrid' s gift. No one but her, Ron, Ginny, Harry and Hagrid knew the giants secret hideaway, they had discovered it in their sixth year at Hogwarts, when they had brought the giants out of hiding to join in the fight against Voldemort. That the giants felt the need to go back into hiding meant that the most recent news of the Dark Lord was true, and he had started his attacks once again. She quickly ripped open the brown paper, and held up a glittering crystal that spun on a silver necklace chain.  
  
"It's beautiful Ron, too bad I can't send an owl to thank him." She placed it around her neck, where it twinkled brightly on her plain dark robes.  
  
"So what have you been up to while I've been planting bean-stalks?"  
  
Hermione smiled at his joke. While the giants may not grind bones to make bread, they sure did have a love of gardening humungous plants, among them bean stalks of a size to make the stories about Jack seem not so far- fetched.  
  
"Research. I've been assigned to reading the muggle tales of evil witches and wizards to see how much truth can be found among them. Seeing how I'm muggle born, the others in Harry's research staff thought it would be the best use of my abilities." She rolled her eyes "But while I'm reading some horrific stuff, I just don't think that there is much truth to be found in any of it."  
  
"But," she added, turning to the table behind her and the book she has slammed shut when Ron had come in, "I took a break from the muggle stuff, and picked up this old tome for some light reading, and I came across a potion that I think could help us to spy on Voldemort."  
  
Ron eyed the dust covered, plain brown leather bound book. "Your idea of light reading." he shook his head "where did you even find that thing?"  
  
"Oh, under some other books in the cellar of the library," she brushed some of the dirt off the cover, but it was hopeless to try and read the words that had once been there. "I think it is a very early edition of Most Potente Potions. The potion I found is for tracking down snakes, and I'm thinking it could be applied to Voldemort, or at least that pet snake he has with him all the time. Here it is, the Coluber pervestigo potion. The only problem is I can't read the last bit of the potion, because of this stain over these two words, and see how the edge is torn?"  
  
Ron leaned over her shoulder to look more closely at the page. "That looks like blood, 'Mione."  
  
"It's probably just dragon blood, the potion calls for 6 drops of it." She pointed to the handwritten list of ingredients at the top.  
  
"Well, what do you think the missing part is?"  
  
"Do I look like a potions master?"  
  
"No, you'd need a longer nose, and greasier hair," laughed Ron.  
  
"You're right!" Hermione answered, but not in response to Ron's joke about the attractiveness of their former potion teacher "I have to go to Hogwarts and talk to Snape about it, he would know if it is a real potion, or not."  
  
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	2. The Dark Mark

"So you think you found a unknown potion that could track Voldemort, where others cannot" Professor Snape sneered at her, his deep voice drug out some words, and added precise emphasis to others. "I would expect more from you Miss Granger.  I know the _Coluber pervestigo _potion, and I know it would work, but first you would have to get one of Nagini's scales, that is the missing part of the potion."  

Snape turned away as if that was the end of the conversation; back to the desk he spent so much time sitting behind.  But then he stopped, and tilted his head slightly sideways, thinking.  He had been doing a lot of reflecting lately, and it seemed that he could not stop himself from wanting to make someone else feel, see, understand a little of what he had been reliving lately.

He turned quickly around, making a fist with his left hand, while pushing the sleeve of his robe down to bare his forearm.

Hermione gasped involuntarily at the Dark Mark.  On Snape's white skin it stood out, it could never be mistaken as a skull-like tattoo, as she had always pictured it in her mind.  The snake coming out of the skulls mouth was a sleeping viper, dangerous, alive, breathing, and able to awaken at any second to strike.

"There is the best tracking device we have to find Voldemort," Snape said, his voice dripping with disdain "Do you want me to wake the power of my mark again to find him?"  Blue-black stands of hair fell across his face, which showed more emotion and pain lurking there than she had ever thought to see on her ex-professors controlled features. 

She could not help but feel awe of him when he was like this, just like when she was his pupil. While he had been her teacher for seven years at Hogwarts, she still knew nothing about him.  She had heard things, that he had turned into a spy against Voldemort; she knew that he had Albus Dumbledore's full trust.  But what was the truth behind this man, she could only speculate.

"No." she answered hastily, turning her head so she was not staring directly at the Mark.  "If you used your Dark Mark to find Voldemort, wouldn't he be able to control you again?  He is the one who created it.  How is it being kept under control now, anyway?"  The stream of words coming out of her mouth surprised even Hermione. The Dark Mark was a subject she would rather not discuss directly to Professor Snape's face.  But she had always wondered…

Severus' s mouth thinned, and his scowl lines deepened.  Hermione Granger was obviously not a person that would ever be able to relate, to begin to relate, to what he dealt with every day.  She was a young overachieving witch, who simply wanted to know the who, what, where and why of things. But perhaps he could make her understand a little of what she foolishly wanted to track down, and confront, what lurked in his head every time he closed his eyes.  He would answer her questions.

"Albus Dumbledore, in combination with a potion I spent a year brewing, put the Dark Mark to sleep, when I could no longer continue as a spy against Voldemort.  If I were to re-awaken it, Voldemort would indeed have power over me once again.  He would know my every movement, if he so chose."  Snape's black eyes were dead once again, as he told her this.     "Now, if you are done telling me about potions I learned as a fifth year I must get back to grading papers."

Hermione, defeated, turned and left Snape's office.  Insufferable man!  He was right.  She should have known that a simple potion could not help them find Voldemort.  It just wasn't that easy to go waltzing into Snape's office, presenting him with a potion and helping to brew it (so she would be in on the action for a change), and presto, finding the Dark Lord and defeating him.  What had she been thinking, exactly?

But she has learned something from her visit.  The Dark Mark haunted her thoughts.  She sat herself down on a handy bench, and thought about the way it had looked.  The snake was breathing, she was sure of it. The mark was a living part of Professor Snape.  She pushed her own robes up past her elbow, and stared at her bare white arm, picturing the Mark on her own flesh.  'Did it move about?' She wondered, 'did it feel as alive underneath his skin as it looked?' 

The look on Snape's face as he showed her the Mark came to her minds eye next.  There was an emotion there she hadn't seen before, pain, pure and simple.  The look on his face had been almost pleading with her when he showed her his brand.  Her eyes closed, and she saw him before her again.  What could he have wanted from her?  He hadn't been trying to scare her that he could readily accomplish by yelling at her like a first year student again, or by doing his trademark sneer.  He had never shown his mark voluntarily; she had always thought he would want people to forget it was there at all.  There had been no reason for him to even show her his arm. 

A strange emotion rolled through her, and she could not put a name to it.  His face haunted her mind.  All she knew was that she felt the strong urge to seek out Severus Snape again.

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Severus watched Hermione leave his classroom, stubborn chin up in the air as usual.  What a silly girl, wanting to use a random snake-tracking potion to find Voldemort. 

He was surprised she had come directly to him with her idea.  Amazed in fact. He thought he had managed to drive everyone of his students away from him, even his Slytherins.  They stayed away once they left Hogwarts, and learned of their house leaders' deception to the Dark Lord.  Even if they chose not to side with Voldemort upon graduation, they stayed away from the fear of being connected to a traitor.

Dipping his long feathered quill into the inkpot, he tried to get back to grading papers.  But a wave of self-hatred flowed through him, remembering his moment of weakness in reaching out to Hermione, and showing her his scar.  He had known she would not understand it as weakness, she obviously had not shown anything but interest in the Mark itself!  If allowed to stay a second longer, she probably would have asked him 20 more questions, including the exact ingredients of the potion he had made, how the mark was put on his arm, and what was the color of Voldemorts socks!

The sleeping snake on his arm twitched under his skin.  He hated it when it did that, reminding him of all the attempts and failures he had made while trying to remove the mark.  The sharpened quill in his hand shook, as he tried to forget the memories that were once again drifting up to be relived.  Not again!  He pulled his sleeve back, and viciously jabbed the sharp point into his skin, ripping it open, slashing and tearing at the skull and the serpent.  Blood welled up from the deep scratches, and pain shot through his arm.  But he hardly felt the physical pain.  The pain that tore at him was the pain of realizing nothing would make the mark leave his arm.  Even as his skin was slashed, torn and bleeding, the clear pattern of the skull with the snake coming out of its grinning mouth was still there.  Now it was simply washed blood- red, and the snake was moving fretfully about.  But at least the spell Albus had devised held, and the snake continued its uneasy slumber.

"Percuro" he said as he slipped his wand out of his sleeve, and pointed it at his bloody arm.  The wounds quickly closed themselves, growing new skin in seconds, and leaving only a few white scars to show that they had been there at all.  Severus brushed the dried blood off his arm.

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*Disclaimer- these characters are obviously not mine, and never will be *sigh *  

Thank you to Eternal Queen for reviewing – I'm trying to stay away from cliché's, the story should pick up In the next chapter and be more original- I'm having a writers block to tie the first two chaps to the next one I've written!  Arrrg J I will come up with a better summary once the story gets moving

Thanks to Rhianna for reviewing also (my very first review yay!)- I did not realize at first there was a place to proof what I uploaded before I put it on fanfic- one big paragraph was not what I meant to do lol


	3. Candy canes and Albus Dumbledore

"Suck me dry.  
My blood is bruised and borrowed. You thieving bastards.  
You have turned my blood cold and bitter,  
Beat my compassion black and blue."

**Tool  "Ticks and Leeches"**

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"Ah, miss Hermione!"

            Hermione looked up from her musings, and saw the kindly, bearded face of Albus Dumbledore.  She smiled up at him, and jumped to her feet, extending both her hands in friendly greeting.  Albus pressed her hands gently.

            "I was just speaking with your friend Ron.  He's been having some …interesting experiences."  He turned his spectacled gaze closely upon her.  "And he tells me you have been to see Professor Snape.  Was your experience interesting as well?"

            Hermione thought about how she would answer his question.  "Professor Snape clearly explained why my snake tracking potion would not work, because we would need the snake in question first.  He also showed me his Dark Mark, and told me a little about it.  It seemed he was considering using it to track down Voldemort."

            Dumbledore eyes lost their twinkle, and took on a heavy sadness.  His voice betrayed the weight of his years.  "Yes, I thought he was considering that.  The Mark has been sleeping for almost 20 years now.  I think it is becoming more of a burden to him each day he carries it.  Since the return of Voldemort it has started to fight ours spells once again.   The snake sleeps, but it desires to wake, and serve its dark master once more."

            "So it is a living thing"  

            "Yes, it is a magical creature, of sorts, designed by Voldemort to summon and control his followers.  Snape alone of the Death Eaters was able to fight it, most likely because he helped create it.  Oh, and one other thing." He smiled gently at her. "I believe it is time for dinner." and she knew that he would tell her no more.  "You must come join us"

            "Alright, Professor Dumbledore" 

            Hermione followed him through the familiar hall of Hogwarts.  A number of the paintings on the wall waved to her, and a few addressed her by name.

            "Welcome back Hermione dear!"  A well-dressed Victorian woman called, picking up her little shaggy lap dog, and waving one of its paws at her in greeting. She smiled and waved back at them.  

            "Why look, she's all grown up!"  A bearded man in the portrait a crossed the hall called to the lady and her dog.  "I remember when she was just a first year…" their voices faded as Hermione and Albus entered the great hall.

            It was almost Christmas.  Candy canes hung suspended in rows above the tables.  A few taller students were jumping up and seeing who could grab one.  Albus chuckled as he walked passed them, and with a merry wave of his wand, the peppermint sweets were lowered so that everyone could reach them if they wanted to.  

            Hermione fought the strong urge to retreat to the Gryffindor table, as Albus led her up to the teacher's table.  Flitwick, McGonagall, Sprout, and all the other professors greeted her warmly as she sat down, and soon she was deep in conversation.  

            "So what is young Harry planning to do about the most recent muggle attack?"  Professor Sprout asked her.  She was referring to horrible Death Eater killing spree in Manchester that had been all over the Daily Prophet, and the muggle news.  Eight girls had been raped, killed and their bodies left lying in the middle of Castle Street.  

            "Well, we have no way of tracking Voldemort, and no motive behind his muggle killings other than pure spite- it' s much the same as you all remember from back in the seventies.   Harry would love to just confront him face to face again, but Voldemort has not been seen since the tri-wizard tournament."

            "Why the blasted Ministry still refuses to believe that he is back," muttered Flitwick.   "No one has proved to have seen him, indeed."

            "The giants know it is him.  They are itching to get back at him for deceiving them into believing his lies" Madam Hooch supplied.  The giants had been brought out of hiding to join the battle, but had spent two years cooling their heels, while Voldemort eluded everyone.   His powers grew, and they could only look on in frustration at the past repeating itself.  And they had to dodge attacks by the Ministry at the same time.  The ministry had always given bad press to the giants.  No wonder they were back in hiding.  Hermione wisely kept the news of the giant's retreat to herself.

Hermione snuck a glance over at Professor Snape during the ensuing ten minutes of Ministry bashing.   He was staring off, apparently at nothing.  But somehow he sensed her eyes on him, and turned to glare at her as if to say, "what are you still doing here?"  She glared back.  He looked slightly surprised at her refusal to back down, but she was still the first to look away.   

Severus leaned over to Dumbledore, speaking quietly so the others would not hear.  "Albus, I need your help tomorrow.  It is time to brew another batch of the potion."

 "So soon?"  Albus asked, concerned, looking into the other man's hooded eyes.

"Yes, it grows worse every day."

"I am afraid I have to leave Hogwarts to go to London tomorrow.   But…."

"Hermione?"  Albus called, as Severus 's eyes narrowed to slits, "Professor Snape needs your help tomorrow, after his Double Potions class.  Would you be able to stay an extra day?"

Hermione nodded instantly, "of course, Professor," then realized the deadly look Snape was giving her.  Her thoughts from earlier came back to haunt her.  She had wanted to seek out Severus Snape again, here she was.  _Be careful what you wish for, girl,_ she thought to herself.

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Ack, I know, cliché's abound!  But this was the hardest chapter I've had to write to connect the next chapter.  My plot bunnies are rabid, wanting to hop way ahead of the story.  Love the reviews, plot is always shaping, will take any comments, thoughts, and suggestions to weave them into the story.

Indy- I believe Snape to be able to withstand great deals of physical pain, with all he's been through in the past, which is why he did not mind the pain when he sliced open his arm.  It seems to be something he's done many times before, out of frustration. I'll see if I can rewrite and make it clearer.

Stacie- the meeting with Voldemort was something in Snape's past that he was remembering.  I will rework that section too; make it clearer, as soon as I finish the next two chapters.  

Snapegirl- I put Hermione at 18 years old, and almost one year out of Hogwarts (because I prefer her to be older and graduated if there is going to be anything between her and sev)  I hope my timeline is alright with this assumption.  The year would be 2000, if I have done my figuring right.

Thanks also to stef, and not sure yet for reviewing!


	4. Blood ties

"Venomous voice, tempts me,  
Drains me, bleeds me,  
Leaves me cracked and empty.  
Drags me down like some sweet gravity.  
  
The snake behind me hisses  
What my damage could have been.  
My blood before me begs me  
Open up my heart again.  
  
And I feel this coming over like a storm again."

**Tool "H."**

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            "I did not ask to help you with your potion, I thought I was doing you a favor.  You can at least tell me what potion we are going to be brewing, and what you need me to do."  Hermione' s eyes flashed with indignation at the black robed man before her.  He had done nothing but glare at her since she had arrived promptly after his last class of the day had left.

            He deliberately turned his back on her, and walked a crossed the room.  Curse meddling Albus, he had been trying for years to make Severus take on an assistant, and he had a large suspicion that this was once again Albus' s intent in having Hermione help him today.  But what could he have been thinking to have her help with this particular potion? 

 His only guess on that was that Hermione had told Albus that he had talked to her about his mark yesterday, and even shown it to hear.  One moment of weakness, it would not end!  He had wanted to reach out to her yesterday, make her understand on some strange level a little of what he had been going though, and now it was coming true in all to real a way.  "_Be careful what you wish for, Severus_" She would see more than he wanted her to today.

"The potion we are about to brew does not have a name.  I have never wanted to give it one.  It is the sleeping draught for my Dark Mark."  He finally answered her question as he unlocked his supply room, and went in to gather the ingredients he would need.  

 "Albus's spell keeps the Mark from its Master's power, and my potion keeps it in its state of slumber.  What I require of you is an extra pair of hands when I need them, and three drops of your blood.  Are you still willing?"

"Yes, of course.  I would like to help."  She answered, not one to ever back down.

He seemed disappointed.

A few moments later, Hermione stood quietly next to the cutting table watching Snape at work.  His long nimble fingers first organized the ingredients that he would use. Then he started a fire underneath the heavy black standard size 4 iron cauldron, and brought the first ingredient out from a hidden pocket in his robes, with a graceful flourish of his hand.

            The crystal phial sparkled even against his pale skin, seeming to posses it's own light.  It was beautiful and Hermione could not resist asking, "What is that?" 

            Snape scowled a little at her, but decided that it would actually pass the time quicker if he told her what he was doing.  He slipped easily into his teaching mode, and some of the tension between them eased.  

            "Stardust powder captured last July.  It is obtained by setting a glass bowl filled with three parts water, one part diamonds under a clear, starry night sky for 7 consecutive days.   The diamonds are then ground into a fine powder.   It is a difficult process, but worth the effort."  Severus carefully opened the phial, and tapped some of the powder directly into the cauldron.  

            Hermione was very surprised not only at the fact she had never read about stardust powder before, but at the fact that he had not measured the amount.  She opened her mouth to comment, but he beat her to it.

            "I realize I did not measure the powder, Miss Granger, but this potion is very particular, and it is more instinct to brew it correctly, than it is following directions."  His voice dripped with pure Slytherin smugness.  "As this potion is one of my own creations; there are in fact no written directions for it's brewing.  There is also no written mention of stardust power, as I believe I am the only one who has discovered it." 

            Amazing, she thought to herself, followed by Ron's favorite word, wicked!  They had always known Snape was a highly qualified Potions Master, so it made sense to her that he could create his own potions, and they might be very good.  But the stardust powder- how could he have possibly discovered it?  Potion ingredients were natural things like ginger roots, unicorn horns, and newt eyes.  Stardust powder sounded like a potion in itself.  She smiled at the fact a person of Professor Snape's looks and demeanor had created something so beautiful and given it a name like stardust powder! 

            Severus could once again see the questions ready to explode out of her.  He was surprised at the smile on her face and her excitement and interest.  It was greater than even her normal love of knowledge.  She was very quick and perceptive.  He had always respected her intellect, but would be the last person to admit it.  He quickly made the decision to share another little secret with her, while he seemed hell bent on sharing so many others.  Twenty years of pent up thoughts, emotions and feelings were a lot to hold in, even for one as reclusive as he.

            "Finding new ingredients for potions has always been largely trial and error throughout wizarding history," he began,  " I have told you this in class, and shared with you some rather tragic examples."  A raised eyebrow accompanied the word "tragic."

  "Well, I have discovered a slightly easier method.  You know how magic is all around us.   We use it every day.  It is most highly concentrated in magical plants, creatures, and in wizards but it is everywhere."  He emphasized the last two words as he added 2 drops of dragon's blood to the potion, turning it a deep purple color.

 "A great many wizards learn this in magical theory class, and never think much about it, they just use it, magic is a natural part of them, after all.  All they have to do is know the right words and wave their silly wands about.  But there are some wizards out there, a very few, that can physically see the magic in the world around them.  Sometimes very powerful magic can be seen in the most unlikely of places."  Especially Dark magic, he thought to himself.

Hermione reasoned this, attacking it with her sharp intellect.  Her brown eyes widened.  "You can actually see magic?"

"Yes, I can.  And even Albus Dumbledore admits that he cannot."  Severus instantly felt a stab of guilt at talking that way about Albus, to who he owed his very life.  So he admitted another fact about his strange power, though it was a blow to his ego.  "There are a few muggles who have this gift.  I believe they refer to it as "seeing auras".   He widened his hands, palms up in a broad gesture that indicated what he thought of muggle beliefs. 

"Yes, I had heard about that, but never really thought about it...  It does make a good deal of sense.  Seeing magic."  A mischievous smile lit up her face.  "What do you see when you look at me?"

What did he see when he looked at her?  He fought back some nasty comments about frizzy hair and muggle clothes, and tried really looking at her.  Eight years had passed since he had first seen her sitting beneath the sorting hat.  He had not been surprised then when the old thing had shouted "Gryffindor", and she had jumped off the chair with a smug smile.   

She had gown up a lot, but her face was still young and delicate.  Hair was frizzy as usual. Maybe if they mixed his greasy hair with her frizz they would both look more presentable. He brushed the idle thought aside.

 Her expression was expectant, examining him back like she would any intriguing subject she would like to study.  He moved his gaze down.  Her muggle shirt was low cut and reveling.  A twinkling crystal pendant sparkled above her breasts; he lingered there.    A brief rush of blood through his cold heart, and something long dead stirred inside him.  He instantly cursed his body's reaction, and his self-loathing rose in him once again.  Who was he to be looking at one of his students like this?  "Ah, ex-student" a rebellious part of his brain whispered.

Then, fortunately, he thought, his "other sight" and the pendant itself sidetracked him.  No mere pretty, it was a powerful magical artifact, and flashed brilliantly when he looked directly at it.   How odd.  He told her so.

"For starters I see your taste in jewelry is far more than I would have expected from you."

She nodded, flustered and slightly red cheeked, caught between being angry with him, and being impressed he could tell what the pendant was.  It was supposed to be well disguised. And for a second she had thought he was staring at her breasts.   She was embarrassed that she had thought that, and even more embarrassed by the slight tingle that had gone through her when he had first looked at her.  Professor Snape was not checking her out, unless it was to pin point every fault she had.  At least her teeth were straight now, and she didn't think there was anything wrong with her chest, if it came to that.

His gaze moved on, he would inquire about the pendant later. It looked like a very intricate variation on a portkey.  He took in her muggle jeans, down to the tips of her sneakers. The physical taken care of, he could now concentrate on the magical.

What he saw did not surprise him.  She was a very powerful witch, even more so now than when she was a young student.  Not surprisingly the magic within her was strongest around her head, pointing like an arrow to her sharp intellect, and after that to her heart.  Her magic "aura" pulsed brightly, bluish silver.  His own magic he knew pulsed a greenish silver, how conformingly Slytherin.  It resided the most in his hands, and then his head.

He carefully explained all he was seeing to her, play by play.  She nodded, and smiled briefly when he mentioned his own greenish silver magic.  She was surprised that he did not make any sarcastic remarks.  That must prove he was telling her the truth.

"I wish I could see it too professor, it sounds beautiful.  I would love to study it, I can't believe I've never read of it before"

"So you admit to not knowing everything."

Snape turned back to the cauldron.  He had not been keeping as careful of an eye on it as he should have, but the color was almost right. The deep purple potion had turned ink black after several minutes of boiling.  Time to add the adder scales, and wait until the potion turns yellow.

"Miss Granger, it is time for you to assist me.  When the potion turns yellow I need you to take that knife," he pointed to a short knife with an intricate pattern of intertwining snakes carved onto it.   "And press it lightly to your skin.  Three drops of blood is all the potion needs.  You must stir them in yourself.  Twenty times, clockwise, then the potion should turn crimson and stop bubbling." From prior experience he did not repeat his directions, or ask her if she understood.  She always got directions right the first time, and if she had a question she would ask it.  He knew she would not make a mistake.

Hermione was surprised at herself as she cut into her own skin, lightly, and bleed the required three drops neatly into the cauldron.  Blood magic was very closely connected to the Dark Arts, and she had never even thought about using it before this.  The drops hissed as they hit the yellow mixture, and the potion began to turn a dark red.  Even if she could not see the magic, she could tell this was a very powerful potion. 

"That was twenty." She stirred the last circle, and the potion immediately stilled.  

            Snape took the heavy caldron off the fire, and hung it on another rack to cool.  Then he rolled the sleeve of his robe up to the shoulder of his left arm.  The mark was violently twitching under his skin.  

He sat down, and stared straight ahead, pointedly not looking at Hermione.  "Now I need you to take a ladleful of the potion and pour it directly on the Mark.  Do it quickly, please."

She dipped the ladle into the cauldron, and poured the still warm mixture onto his mark.   Her hand did not shake, but she felt her stomach jump around inside of her like a frightened rabbit.  Snape did not flinch when she applied the potion, but he did close his eyes.  She stared at him, unsure of what would happen next.  The potion on his arm made it look like it was bleeding, and where it was over the mark it bubbled, and dried up almost instantly.  The snake stopped moving.  Severus opened his eyes.

"Thank you, Hermione." He said simply.  

She was moved by the change in his face.  It looked years younger, as if a great burden had been lifted momentarily from his shoulders.  

An invisible barrier fell from between them.  She felt a strange connection to the tall dark haired man sitting next to her.  She saw him for the first time as someone she could help, had helped, someone she could care for as she had always cared for Harry, Ron and Neville.  He actually smiled at her.  She smiled back.

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Thank you to cinnicl for reviewing, and appreciating my tool excerpt! I look to music a lot for inspiration.  And tool is certainly fitting for Severus, dark, moody and sarcastic, but so seductive and addictive at the same time!  I would love to do a songfic, I thought about trying that before I started writing this story.  Picking the song will be the hard part…

Eternal Queen- I hope to break away soon, it is much too easy to slip into "potterworld" after watching the movie again!

Thank you also to labrisa and bluestarfish for you support! *Hugs *


	5. An Unmarked Grave

"You Don't Understand Who They  
Thought I Was Supposed To Be   
Look At Me Now A Man  
Who Won't Let Himself Be"

**Alice in Chains- "Down in a Hole"**

Severus stood next to the unmarked gray tombstone.  The night sky was ink black, no stars shone through tonight.  He pulled a single blood red rose out from under his robes, dropping it to the ground in front of the headstone.  

He stood there for several minutes.  If someone were to have passed by they would have been hard pressed to have seen him there at all.   His robes became part of the night.  Only the pale skin of his face hovered ghost-like.

He remembered, he felt connected to each and every one of them he watched die.  He remembered her most of all, because no one else would.  She would have been Hermione' s age, if she had lived.  His daughter.  

It was his fault.  She should have never even been born.  He could still hear Augustina's voice, "we do what our Dark Lord tells us to, and we do not question it!"  She had been angered by his protests.

            That was why he held so much bitterness toward Harry Potter.  Harry's mother had given everything she had to save him from Voldemort.  Severus' s wife had taken her baby's life herself at Voldemorts command.  Harry was the famous "Boy who lived", while Serena, his own little girl, had died on the exact same day.

His thoughts chased each other down the well-worn paths in his mind.  Self-hatred, anger, the desire for revenge, sadness, longing for what could have been if Augustina had been who he thought she was when he was young and in love with her…  But his longings had a new twist tonight.  His daydreams of the way Augustina had been when they were both still at Hogwarts were replaced by a new face.  An unsettling face, that of Hermione Granger.    It was wrong; he knew it had to be.  Hermione would have been his daughter's year-mate at Hogwarts. They might have even been friends. 

He thought about all he had shared with Hermione today.  It had been so natural to tell her about the magic, to brew the potion with her.  He had asked her to stay and help him again tomorrow.  Would he end up sharing this secret with her as well?  How would she react to this?  

He laughed.  It was a bitter laugh.  He would never tell her about his daughter.  But he would tell her about Augustina, he knew he would.  He would want her to know why he had become a Death-Eater.  He wanted her opinion, he wanted to see her again, he wanted to see her eyes look at him with friendship, and not fear or mistrust. 

He stepped away from his daughter's grave, and slipped through the mists to where he had left his horse.  Apparating in this area was very dangerous for him. He always rode Perseus instead.  The blue-black stallion arched his neck as his rider swung into the saddle, but otherwise stood still.  Severus tapped his sides with his heels and they started back to Hogwarts.

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Short chapter, but I hope meaningful.

Severus has to have a horse there is no way he can't if it is my story. It just makes me happy.


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